Sharks at Islanders
THE STORY: On a night when they honor their 1992-93 team, the New York Islanders look to end their four-game losing streak when they host the San Jose Sharks on Saturday. New York, which is beginning a three-game homestand, fell to 0-3-1 in its last four contests Thursday with a shootout loss to the Penguins in Pittsburgh. Evgeni Nabokov played 65 minutes but gave way to Rick DiPietro for the shootout due to a lower body injury. Nabokov will not face San Jose, the organization with which he spent the first 10 years of his career. The Sharks improved to 4-0-0 on their six-game road trip with a 4-2 road triumph over the Detroit Red Wings on Friday.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, CSN California (San Jose), MSG Plus (NY Islanders)
ABOUT THE SHARKS (5-3-0): San Jose has had its way with New York recently, winning three straight meetings and five of the last six. The Sharks also have played well against the Islanders on the road, going 5-1-1 in the last seven visits and 9-2-1 in the last 12. Captain Joe Thornton scored a pair of goals against Detroit on Sunday to extend his points streak to five games. During his run, Thornton has registered three goals and five assists.
ABOUT THE ISLANDERS (3-4-1): New York will be paying tribute to the 1992-93 squad which pulled off a huge upset against the Penguins in the Patrick Division finals. Pittsburgh, which had won the Stanley Cup each of the previous two seasons, held a 3-2 series lead before the Islanders rallied to win the final two games. In Game Seven, David Volek scored in overtime to send New York to the Wales Conference finals against the Montreal Canadiens.
OVERTIME:
1. The Islanders are 71 away from the 10,000th goal in their history.
2. New York has registered fewer than 20 shots on goal three times in eight games this season. It had less than 20 shots only five times in 2010-11.